Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti: Renaissance Men par excellence and two of art history’s towering colossi. An obvious and compelling theme for a Martin Randall Travel tour, you might think; you may then wonder why, in over twenty-two years of existence, we have never, until now, undertaken such a tour. In short, a not altogether likely but surprisingly fruitful agreement between the Casa Buonarroti di Firenze and the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana di Milano, the highly influential organisations that zealously protect the reputations of the two men, means that a number of comprehensive and authoritative exhibitions dedicated to these two titans of the Italian Renaissance will be held in various cities in Italy in 2011/12.

We have decided, therefore, to take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity to create a one-off tour which will visit numerous permanently displayed works by Leonardo and Michelangelo before culminating in an afternoon visit to Michelangelo e Leonardo: gli italiani prima dell’Italia in the Capitoline Museum, a blockbuster temporary exhibition of both artists’ drawings.

Milan: capital of the most powerful territory in Italy and, when Leonardo was employed there, probably the largest city in Europe. Florence: cradle of the Renaissance and home to an unrivalled quantity of first-rate, locally-produced works of art, many still in the sites for which they were created. Rome: ancient and papal capital and, as such, artistically the most richly endowed city on the planet. Three of Italy’s most historic, vibrant and fascinating cities, each with a fundamental but distinctive role in the development of the Renaissance.

They are also the cities most closely identified with Leonardo and Michelangelo, and in them we will be spending eight, hugely-rewarding days exploring the lives and staggering achievements of these two polymaths and placing them within the wider context of their contemporaries, as well as enjoying some of humanity’s finest cultural achievements, not least the Last Supper, the statue of David, and the Sistine Chapel.

The buildings that house the works of art are themselves of intrinsic historical or architectural interest, or are home to masterpieces by other artists. These range from some of the world’s greatest galleries, including the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Uffizi and Bargello, to remarkable ecclesiastical edifices such as Sant’ Ambrogio, the Vatican and the cathedrals of Milan and Florence.

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